Head coach Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys are currently gearing up to take part in the upcoming 2024 NFL season, which is slated to begin in just under a month. While the Cowboys have had great regular season success under McCarthy during his tenure, playoff prosperity has eluded them, including in a blowout home loss to the Green Bay Packers last year in the Wild Card round.

Arguably the best overall player on the Cowboys roster is linebacker Micah Parsons, who is one of the, if not the best defensive player in the NFL at the current moment.

Parsons' combination of size, strength, and agility has made him a terror for opposing offensive lines thus far in his NFL career. In fact, so impressive is Parsons' athletic profile that McCarthy could envision him being a successful running back on offense–while also recognizing that doing so may not be the wisest decision, per Jon Machota of The Athletic on X.

“If Micah Parsons got hurt running the ball in practice, I would just walk out the front gate and keep walking,” joked McCarthy.

Indeed, in theory, Parsons would have all of the tools to be a very productive, and large, running back at the NFL level, but it's probably in the Cowboys' best interest to keep him terrorizing opposing offenses for the time being.

Can the Cowboys break through?

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium.
Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

As previous mentioned, the Cowboys are looking to prove in 2024 that they can carry over their regular season dominance from the last few years into the playoffs. This being the case, it will be tough for McCarthy and company to raise too many eyebrows over the course of this regular year, with the visions of Jordan Love and the Packers celebrating on their field still seared into the memory of Cowboys fans everywhere.

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On paper, the Cowboys have all of the tools to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, that is, assuming that star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is indeed with the team when they step onto the gridiron for the first game.

While Dak Prescott may not be in the upper upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league, he was still an MVP candidate a season ago and has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL at his disposal.

In any case, the Cowboys' season will get underway with a major road test vs the Cleveland Browns on September 8.